The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1016

 Chapter 1016

 

“Would you please guide us to where the Thespian Emperor and the Queen of Swords are staying?”

Raon said that sightseeing could wait until later and looked at McCain with eyes exuding cold energy.

“Hmm….”

McCain swallowed dryly, not just because of Raon, but also because he could feel the chilling energy wave from the Light Wind swordsmen stepping out of the dimensional gate.

“Hmm, understood. As soon as all members of the Light Wind Palace have come through, we’ll depart immediately.”

He bowed his head, saying that once the swordsmen had all arrived, he would guide them to the Thespian Emperor.

“Thank you.”

Raon let out a small murmur of admiration as he looked at McCain, who, despite his surprise, maintained a calm expression.

‘Just like I thought before, the Thespian Emperor is good at picking people.’

Though not hostile, Raon had deliberately created a cold atmosphere. Yet McCain didn’t panic and instead maintained his composure, proof that he wasn’t ordinary either.

“Everyone has arrived.”

Burren came up to Raon and reported after personally confirming the number of Light Wind swordsmen.

“He says everyone is out, so let’s get going now.”

Raon nodded to McCain, who had been waiting at the door.

“Then I’ll open the door.”

McCain let out a deep breath at the frost-like pressure of the Light Wind swordsmen and opened the door of the magic tower.

Hwaaaaaa!

Under the dazzlingly pouring sunlight, stylish houses and buildings came into view.

Though the morning hadn’t fully passed yet, people were already bustling about, following their own schedules.

“This way, please.”

Sensing the grim atmosphere, McCain refrained from explaining about Barene and immediately began walking toward the Thespian Emperor’s residence.

“Let’s go.”

Raon gestured to the Light Wind members to follow and trailed behind McCain.

‘Even at a glance, it’s changed a lot.’

During the Five Demon’s attack, more than half of Barene had been destroyed.

Perhaps because most buildings were newly rebuilt, the walls and streets were neatly constructed.

“As the Light Wind Palace master may already know….”

McCain slowly opened his mouth, seemingly having noticed where Raon’s gaze had fallen.

“Because of the attack by the Dark Night Sword God and the other Five Demons, not only the walls but the entire city was devastated.”

He let out a heavy breath, saying it had been a hopeless situation.

“After the attack, the citizens were gripped with fear and tried to flee the city. But when they saw the Thespian Emperor releasing funds and taking action personally for the restoration, not a single person left this land.”

McCain gave a gentle smile, saying that, if anything, the bond between the Thespian Emperor and the people had only grown stronger since then.

“It certainly looks better than when I was here before.”

Raon nodded. Just as McCain said, perhaps because they had overcome a difficult time, the city now seemed full of life and warmth.

“Yeah. Before, the city itself was refined, but it didn’t feel like people actually lived here. Now it’s full of vitality.”

Martha clicked her tongue as if she understood what Raon meant.

“Mhm. The air feels warm…”

Runaan blinked blankly, saying she felt good too.

“It feels like something’s changed on the inside rather than the outside. There’s a kind of closeness that lingers.”

Burren looked at the bustling marketplace with a faint smile.

“I’m glad it appears that way to you.”

McCain, pleased by the compliments about Barene’s atmosphere, walked up the hill with a noticeably lighter step.

“In fact, the building where master resides was also rebuilt. It’s that one.”

He pointed to the mansion standing at the center of the city, saying they had constructed a new building because the old one had collapsed.

“It’s not as big as I expected.”

Martha tilted her head as she looked at the Thespian Emperor’s residence, which was only slightly larger than a separate residence.

“Right? The one I saw before looked even bigger than the head of house’s manor.”

Burren scratched his chin, saying he thought the same.

“When we rebuilt the city, we prioritized the citizens’ homes and land, so we were short on manpower and funds. This was the best we could do.”

McCain gave a bitter smile, saying the Thespian Emperor had taken care of the citizens first, and that’s why her manor ended up smaller.

“The Thespian Emperor didn’t seem like that kind of person… Hup!”

Krein started to talk but then shut his mouth tightly when he caught McCain’s gaze.

“It might look that way.”

Instead of getting angry, McCain lightly smiled as if saying it was understandable.

“Krein….”

“Watch your mouth. This isn’t Zieghart.”

Burren and Martha glared at Krein with cold eyes.

“I-I’m sorry.”

Krein deeply bowed his head to McCain, saying he was ashamed of himself.

“It’s alright. People have various perspectives.”

McCain waved his hand as if to say not to worry about it.

‘Honestly….’

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Thespian Emperor’s residence, which looked more like a mansion than a castle.

‘Krein words aren’t wrong.’

The Thespian Emperor he had seen and felt for himself was a highly intelligent opportunist.

So hearing that she built a smaller house because she prioritized the citizens only made him think that, rather than it being out of consideration, she was more conscious of people’s eyes and the rumors they would spread.

Even if she did it because of others’ eyes and mouths, isn’t it still a good thing in the end?

‘Yeah. It is a good thing.’

As Wrath said, whatever the reason, it ended up being good for the citizens. Raon gave a small nod with a faint smile.

“Then I’ll go for a moment.”

McCain asked them to wait a bit and entered the Thespian Emperor’s mansion.

‘So she’s on the second floor.’

From deep inside the mansion, an immense level of soul could be felt, enough to blanket the entire city. Perhaps because he had grown, Raon now sensed that the Thespian Emperor’s martial power was strong enough to shake his very soul.

‘This is the level without even revealing her presence?’

She truly deserves to stand as the representative of the Five Divine Orders.

Raon drew a faint smile and looked back at the Light Wind swordsmen.

“Not everyone can enter the conference hall, so the Warring Steel Division leader will remain behind to manage the swordsmen.”

He entrusted the swordsmen to Trevin, who had the most experience leading subordinates.

“Understood.”

Trevin smiled confidently, as if asking Raon to trust him, and struck his own chest with a fist.

“Light Wind Palace, remember what I said. And carry yourselves with the bearing befitting a swordsman of Zieghart.”

As soon as Raon finished speaking, the pressure of the swordsmen, previously relaxed by the warm atmosphere of Barene, settled down, colder and sharper than before.

“Yes, sir!”

The Light Wind swordsmen nodded as if to say they would not disappoint, and like Trevin, struck their chests with their fists.

“Since we’re accompanying the palace master, we must carry ourselves all the more properly.”

Burren frowned at Martha and Runaan, asking them to be careful.

“She means you.”

Martha jerked her chin at Runaan.

“Not me. She means the rakshasa woman…”

Runaan shook her head, saying the arrow had hit the wrong target.

“No, she means you!”

“Rakshasa woman…”

The two of them poked each other’s cheeks with their fingers and gritted their teeth.

“Both of you!”

Burren shouted for them to stop and stepped between Martha and Runaan.

“Hmph!”

Martha snorted and closed her eyes. But instead of staying angry, she began cultivating her aura on the spot.

‘She really looks like she’s ready to personally take down the White Blood Religion’s leader.’

Raon smiled gently as he watched Martha trying to train even in brief spare moments.

Thunk.

McCain stepped out of the mansion, a line of wrinkles forming on his forehead.

“Is something wrong?”

Raon furrowed his brow as he saw McCain come out alone.

“The originally promised time was noon, so the Queen of Sword has yet to arrive. Master is in the middle of work, but she said she’s willing to meet you right away if the palace master desires it.”

McCain lowered his head, as if asking what Raon wanted to do.

“Wouldn’t it be best to meet the Thespian Emperor first…”

“No. I think it would be better to see both of them together.”

Raon shook his head, saying he would meet them together in the conference hall.

‘Whether this is part of their plan or not, there’s no need to give her time to think beforehand.’

The Thespian Emperor would likely be able to read the atmosphere just by seeing him. It seemed best to resolve things in one go, with both of them present.

“I apologize.”

“You don’t need to apologize, Sir McCain. If anything, we’re the ones who arrived early.”

“Th-then, I’ll guide you to the reception room for now.”

McCain turned and entered a small building to the right of the mansion. Perhaps because it was used to receive guests, it looked even more luxurious than the mansion.

“I’ll bring some tea.”

He said he would return shortly and hurried back outside.

‘So we have quite a bit of time until noon.’

Because the preparation and travel through the dimensional gate had gone far more smoothly than expected, they had quite a bit of time left.

‘I guess I’ll read that book in the meantime.’

Raon opened his subspace pocket and pulled out an old book. It was one Glenn had personally brought to him at the annex building.

He hadn’t had the chance to read it before, having been focused on the Light Wind swordsmen aura cultivation training and healing his injuries. Now seemed like a good moment to finally take a look.

‘I wonder what kind of martial arts manual this is… huh?’

This wasn’t a martial arts manual.

[Cultivating the soul is like growing a young tree. If raised with a healthy mind, it will grow deep, thick roots that do not waver, but if raised with a diseased mind, the roots will remain shallow and narrow, snapping at the slightest breeze.]

As he skimmed through the book, he saw that it wasn’t about martial arts, but about methods of calming and cultivating the mind and spirit.

[The soul is like water held within a vessel. In ordinary times, it remains calm and still, but when struck from the outside, it ripples as if about to spill over. One must always be able to handle their soul with serenity to reach higher realms.]

Raon read the content, which resembled that of a pseudo-scripture, and turned to the last page.

[One year becomes ten, ten years form a hundred, and a hundred years pass to become a thousand. But ten thousand years cannot be reached in such a way. It is a span and realm unreachable by the human mind, only through the mental world and soul can one manifest it.]

Narrowing his eyes at the last page, he thought,

‘This is…’

Something was different.

Unlike the previous passages, this didn’t seem to be solely about the soul.

‘How should I put it…’

It felt like I could understand it—but not quite.

‘Let’s keep reading.’

Raon became completely absorbed in the last page of the book, not even noticing when McCain placed the tea on the table.

*   *   *

Knock knock.

As Raon repeatedly read the final page, etching the content into his mind, the door opened with a knock.

“The Queen of Swords has arrived. Shall we go now?”

McCain bowed slightly, saying the conference preparations were complete.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

Raon put the book back into his subspace pocket and stood up.

“The conference hall is behind the mansion. This way, please.”

He followed McCain, who carefully began leading the way, toward the back of the mansion.

Whoooosh.

Burren, Martha, Runaan, and Mark Goetten followed behind him like shadows, their footsteps silent.

“That is the conference hall of the Five Divine Orders.”

McCain pointed to the conference hall, which was cloaked in a dignity like that of an ancient cathedral, and gave a small nod.

“This hall was built to be as large and grand as possible, to match the names of the other Five Divine Orders.”

McCain nodded again, as if this was something they couldn’t compromise on.

“I agree with that.”

Raon also nodded as he scanned the building.

‘It feels both splendid and solid.’

It wasn’t just outward decoration. The structure gave off the sense of a firm resolution, not to collapse again.

Hoo.

After composing himself, McCain personally opened the door to the conference hall.

Kugugugugu!

With a low tremor like the ground being pushed, the massive doors opened, revealing the inside.

At the center of the hall stood a pure white round table, and at its far end sat two breathtakingly beautiful women, each in a different posture.

Gooooooo…

At the center, the Thespian Emperor radiated a mystical presence as if to wash away all impurity in the world, while to the right, the Queen of Swords exuded a sharp presence, like a sword given human form.

“You’ve arrived.”

The Thespian Emperor rose gracefully from her seat and gave a polite bow.

“It’s been a while.”

The Queen of Swords gave a small nod without changing her posture.

“I’m glad to see that both of you are in good health.”

Raon stood before the round table, lightly brushing off the Transcender pressure naturally emanating from the Thespian Emperor and the Queen of Swords.

“Hmm.”

“……”

The eyes of the two women visibly changed upon seeing him.

“Seeing you in person is even more surprising.”

The Thespian Emperor let out a quiet breath as she looked into Raon’s red eyes.

“I’d heard all sorts of rumors, but I didn’t think you’d truly reach that level.”

She shook her head, saying it was a feat hard to believe even when seen with her own eyes.

“I almost can’t believe what I’m seeing.”

The Queen of Swords lowered her fine eyebrows.

“Now I understand why those wretched ones died.”

She tapped the table with her finger, saying she now understood how Raon had been able to defeat the DemonBlade and the Demon Slaying Spear.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t given proper greetings. Congratulations on reaching Transcendence.”

The Thespian Emperor, saying her congratulations were late, lowered her head deeply.

“Thank you.”

Raon returned the bow, meeting her calm gaze.

‘She’s strong.’

Seeing her with his own eyes, the level of her soul felt even greater. A warrior completely different from the DemonBlade or the Demon Slaying Spear. The chances of victory were high, but it didn’t seem easy to say with certainty that he could win.

‘And the Queen of Swords…’

He turned his gaze to the right and looked at her.

‘She’s weaker than the Thespian Emperor.’

Just as he’d sensed before, the Queen of Swords’s martial power was clearly lower than the Thespian Emperor’s.

Stronger than the DemonBlade, similar to the Demon Slaying Spear. An opponent he could beat ten times out of ten.

‘But then why did the head of house say I should be more cautious of her?’

Glenn had calmly accepted the idea that Raon could defeat the Thespian Emperor, but had shown doubt when it came to the Queen of Swords.

‘He’s not one to joke around.’

This wasn’t Rimmer. Glenn had no reason to joke about something this important. There was definitely something about the Queen of Swords that Raon didn’t yet know.

‘Better be cautious.’

So he wouldn’t be caught off guard, no matter what happened.

Thud.

Raon placed his interlocked hands on the round table, steadying the tension inside him.

“I heard a rumor recently…”

The Queen of Swords narrowed her eyes and looked at him.

“Is it true that you killed the Fallen?”

She let out a low murmur, as if she still couldn’t believe it.

“Far-fetched stories are mostly empty rumors.”

Raon gave a faint laugh and waved his hand.

“I figured as much.”

The Queen of Swords clicked her tongue briefly.

“You’re strong, that’s for sure, but not enough to defeat the Fallen.”

She nodded, as if she had concluded that the rumor of the Fallen’s death was false.

“……”

The Thespian Emperor said nothing, simply looking at him with clear, transparent eyes.

“However, that rumor is indeed true.”

Raon slowly raised his hand.

“The Fallen is dead. Of course, it wasn’t something I did alone.”

Without revealing everything, he stated only the fact that the Fallen was dead.

“Huh?”

The Queen of Swords’s eyes trembled violently, like a sea lashed by a storm.

“H-how?”

She slammed the round table and stood up, as if unable to comprehend it.

“There was the Archmage of Eternal Flame during the war with the Black Tower, but this time there wasn’t, was there?!”

Her eyes trembled as she looked at him, demanding an explanation of the circumstances.

“……”

The Thespian Emperor calmly sipped her tea, showing not a hint of surprise. It was as if she already knew everything.

“Explaining the circumstances isn’t difficult, but before that, there’s something I’d like to ask the two of you first.”

Raon gently shook his head.

“What is it?”

The Queen of Swords narrowed her eyes.

“Go ahead.”

The Thespian Emperor quietly set down her teacup, as if willing to answer anything.

“I believe that I—no, that Zieghart—has given the Five Divine Orders plenty of chances. So now, I’d like a clear answer.”

Raon spoke coldly, his eyes sharp as blades.

“Will you walk the same path as the Five Kings, or will you die here and…?”

He looked down at the two wide-eyed women and tilted his chin arrogantly.

“Make your choice. Now.”

 

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